This invention relates to shaving equipment.
It is, of course, commonplace to use a glass mirror permanently mounted on a wall or bathroom cabinet as a shaving mirror. Also, portable glass shaving mirrors are known which can be stood on a shelf or ledge. However, these known portable shaving mirrors are of little use if a suitable shelf or ledge is not available, for example in a shower, and furthermore, in this case, there may be nowhere close to hand to put the razor after a shave. Also, these known mirrors are prone to misting up in a bathroom atmosphere.
This invention is more particularly concerned with shaving equipment of the type comprising a mirror, first means for releasably attaching the mirror to a wall or the like, and second means for releasably attaching a razor to the equipment.
An example of such equipment is known from patent specification U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,559. In that known equipment, the mirror is provided on the front of a reservoir, from the bottom of which a pin projects. The pin fits into a socket in a bracket which is connected by a ball and socket joint to a sucker for attachment to a wall. The bracket also has a rack for holding a grooming article, such as a razor. By disconnecting the pin and socket joint, the mirrored reservoir can be removed for emptying and recharging with hot water to reduce the tendency of the mirror to fog-up. The equipment of U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,559 is complicated and is not particularly aesthetically pleasing. Also, the pin and socket connection provides a weak link susceptible to breakage.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, shaving equipment of the general type mentioned above is characterised in that the first and second attaching means are disposed respectively behind and in front of the mirror. Accordingly, the first attaching means (to the wall or the like) can be hidden from normal view.
Preferably, the first and second attaching means are attached to the mirror at or adjacent the same location on the mirror, and, in particular, the first attaching means may comprise a member which passes through a hole in the mirror and also forms at least part of the second attaching means. This therefore provides a simple rugged and reliable construction, it being simpler to provide a hole through the mirror rather than a projecting pin as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,559.
In one embodiment, the member has a sucker portion behind the mirror for attachment to a wall or the like, a stem portion which passes through the hole in the mirror, and a loop or hook portion in front of the mirror to which a razor can be attached. The sucker can therefore be hidden from normal view, leaving just the mirror and the loop or hook portion visible.
In another embodiment, the member has a sucker portion behind the mirror for attachment to a wall or the like, a stem portion which passes through a hole in the mirror, and means for attaching the stem portion to a razor cassette in front of the mirror to which a razor can be attached. Again, therefore, the sucker can be hidden from normal view, leaving just the mirror and razor cassette visible. In this embodiment, the means for attaching the stem portion to the razor cassette may conveniently comprise a further sucker in front of the mirror, or a tab which can be secured through a slot in the razor cassette.
For simplicity, the member may be a one piece element. Alternatively, the first and second elements may be joined in the region of the stem portion.
In the case where a sucker is provided, a venting means may also be provided to facilitate release of the sucker from the wall, rather than requiring the sucker simply to be ripped away from the wall. Once released, the equipment may be held under the shower or other hot water supply for a few seconds and then re-attached to the wall. It has been found that, when used in a shower, holding the mirror under the shower for about five seconds will heat the mirror sufficiently to prevent it fogging up for the time taken to have a shave.
For stability, the first and second attaching means may be disposed towards the top of the mirror, unlike the equipment of U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,559 which is top heavy.
As mentioned above, in the equipment of U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,559, a razor can be hung on a rack, and the rack is shown as a pair of lugs.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, shaving equipment of the general type mentioned above is characterised in that the second attaching means comprises a cassette for a plurality of razor heads and to which an assembly of a razor head and razor handle can be attached. This second aspect of the invention therefore takes advantage of the popularity of razor assemblies of this type, for which replacement heads are sold in a cassette, to provide not only for attachment of the razor to the mirror, but also for storage of spare razor heads in a convenient place, i.e. by the mirror.
In one embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the razor cassette is held to the mirror by a further sucker or a tab. Such means may be used in the second aspect of the invention, or alternatively the cassette may be attached to the mirror by a double sucker. Alternatively, in the second aspect of the invention, the first attaching means (for attaching the mirror to the wall or the like) may comprise a wall tile having a recess to receive the mirror, and the tile may have a second recess to receive the razor cassette.
In both aspects of the present invention, the mirror may be a simple plate-like mirror, there being no necessity for the complication of providing a reservoir behind the mirror as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,559.